The threat of Chagas' disease in transfusion medicine: The presence of antibodies to Trypanosoma cruzi in the US blood supply

Abstract

Chagas' disease is an infection caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. The disease is endemic in the tropical countries of Latin America, including Central America and Mexico, and is a major cause of illness and death among the poor. Since the mid-1970s, a resurgence of immigrants from these areas has occurred in the United States. Researchers, including a group from the American Red Cross, have conducted epidemiologic studies that suggest that many of these people have antibodies to this parasite. This article focuses on the biology, transmission, prevalence in the United States, diagnostic tests, the potential for transmission, and challenges this disease presents to the US blood banking and public health communities.